DISADfANTAGE OF PETTICOATS. Husband (who has advertised for a type writerxpert) : Did'maniiy call to-diy, my dear, in answer to thp advertisement?.? Wife.:: Yes, quite a number; but there wvas only one applicant whom I told to call',again.i lie seems ersy bright," and',I'm'sure you will. like him. ea l' -t' ,u, -? . Husband: What was the trouble with the rest ? ' ' Wife They ivere all young women.

A BUNDILE .OF LOVE IsETTERS. (or. Jbains' IBDG?T.) This audacious piece of book-making frankly appeals to the numerous class of persons who desire to pry into matters which ought to have boon kepf ecret. Mr. " 3. T. 'Morydow " makes merry over the broach of confidence, the avarice, the spite, or the desire of notoriety, which, has exposed the amiable weaknesses or the less ex. cusable frailties of men great and famous. As a matter of course, his compilation, amidst a great mass of dull and tedious effusions not worthy of revival, contains many things that are pleasant, some amusing, and a few pathetic.' Mr. "J. T. Morydew-) takes credit so himself because he has not trans. formed the original text "inl order to'rendor it more pahltable to the tasto of the unscrupulous reader.' . Scrupulous Mr. J. T.'Merydew I But the reader who lankers after the kind of reading promised by these words will find little to satisfy his ignoble taste. It may be worth while to quote a few of the more not...

A joHAT'WITI )A't FRENCCH A French ndjapaper representativo recently had i long conirsation witl M. Gustaveo.M~~ad who was Directot of riminal Investigations in Paris from 18790to the end of March, 1884. :le compldined thate the French detective, system was hedged round by so many vexatious ad ministrative restrictions that it might now be regarded as the worst managed force of the kind on the European Continent. " Too much time, -he said, is lost in fonnalties. The multiplicity of ceremonies ilitervening between the application to the police force for its services, and compliance with the request for such .services, is such that the thief or murderer has fully forty-eight eight hours' start of the superintendent. Often an interval of five days must elapse, thus affording ample time for the supposed criminals to escape. The French. want an advanico in their system of criminal investigation not un like that inaugurated in England by the ap pointmient of Mr. Howard Vincent. Fortu nate...

THE AUTHOR OF 'tROBERTI ELSMERE." (Te w Yon( CIITIo). There is not much-$l3ritthri:etuitil1 ithin the, ,last five or six monthsMrs. Humphry W~aridwis unkndwn, 'savo.totl;ovfow., Even so short a time ago as'l18856h, ehnso found' rid'placo among tho "Women of the Day." "It is quite as certain that during these five or six months not many English novelists have been so much talked about and discussed. With "Robert Elsmore," or perhaps, to be more exact, with Mr. Gladstone's review of it in the Ninetreeth Cntur'J, Mrs. Ward sprang into notoriety. To those who had 'no knowledge of her personally, her book made it clear that she was one who not only knew her Oxfordwell, but was intimate with Oxford lifo and Oxford people and Oxford traditions. It was, therefore, no surprise to learn that before she became Mrs. Ward she was a Miss Arnold, and that she is the granddaughter of Dr. Arnold, of Rugby, the niece of Matthew Arnold, and the daughter of Thomas Arnold, the editor of many. old books,...

* ifitEM VATION OF FOOD. The perishable .nature of all animal and -vegetable substances, -ays a writer in 27, I ltlt t ethor wth "the unavoidable irregu. lnity ihn` oi.i prioduction, imposes ugion, us the tetjy ofi etoring up the 'superabnndance of one time to meet the requirements of another, and it is of considerable interest to preserve Ihese various alimentary subhtancts as nearly as possible in their original state. or at least in anch condition that their nutritive properties mnixy be'retained ti much as possible. It might t?~ihotgghlidesirable that all tumtmalisibstilnces used for this purpose should be dressed as soon aslife is destroyed. But this is not at all the ase ; generally, the flesh is at such a time tough and difficult to digest, owing to the rigidity w?hiah sets in as the muscles contract, whereas, if kept for a.foew days, according to the weather and climate, the lie.ut becomes more tender. Much experience and attention to' various cir unmstances are necess.ry to...

THEr . CRMAN EinPEROR. [nB 4 -AVOUUaTS Atn cONrrIDANT.] ; It is nob often (says the Berlin correspondent of TAB Tiesa) that an elIdtiin speech in Germany has- muqh., interest ,for an English roc'.er, but an address, which,?has just iboen doelverad to his constitu'ents"-at'AsAt:jsleben by ] Count Douglas, a Prussian nobleman of Scottish ilescot, deserves some notice by reason of the light which it throws'upon the character of the Emperor William II. Himself a favourito and confidant of the young Emperor, Count r Douglas has exceptional opportunities of study- 1 ing his Majesty, and is, therefore, entitled to eot accepted as a high authority on this theme. ' JDuring his brief reign the Emperor, said t Count Douglas, had already displayed an onergy anl a s passion for work which made some of those' about him dread tlut le was t overtaxing his strength; but this fear loft out of account the calm and placid temper with which his Majesty laboured at the most im- s portent affairs. He neve...

FISH AS AN ARTICLE OF EVERY DAY FOOD. By. A. G. PAYNE. "We cannot afford to have fishevery day,".would probably be tihe remark of many, were the subject of fish as an article of daily food mentioned. This renmark, too, would also be most likely made by these who, whether they can afford it or not, have invariably had meat twice a day at least; ever since they left the nursery. Perhaps, too, the objections may be made. "But fish 'is so unsatisfying:" " It gives such. a lot of trouble ;" or; " But it ,is not only the fish, there is the sauce." - That fish is not so satisfying as_ "butchers' nmeet" will of course be uni versally admitted, but then the .fish. monger's bill might so easily be made to assist the butcher's bill, and at the same time be the means of'making our daily dinner, not merely cheaper, but. 'bettor. I will illustrate what I mean by the following example. Suppose the family to consist of father and mother and three: children, all'hea1thv. tihe disiner ordered hra moa...

LADIES' .COLUMN. AMIittICAN WOWOIN WHO'WRITE,. Ec-rabeth Stuart Phelpe's name will always be ntso?iated with the work that imado her famous, "The Gates Ajar." She was born at Andover, leassa, August 31, 18411, and was the ido.ugter o! Professor Austin Phelps ani .'Elizabeth Stuart Phol p. Her mother was a talented and ypopslar utleooa, Id t atrn erly agRo helps rfllorowd ,'in her footste&amp;pfs '"he GatesAjar," published in 1868, was ollow bllq "BoyondtheoGate." "'AnOldMsid'sParedls' and "Burglars in Paradise" proved interestig: companion books, and '. Dsator Zay," "The Silent Partner," and "ledged Int" esteblished the Puritan authores's right to the'titlo of neovelist. Amocr, her stones dedicated to the little folks, "The 1'rotty Book" and " Q?tty'sr Wedding Touar and Stry Book" are widely known. 'rhovevrsatile autloressh?asalsorellquontly contributed to leadilg magazince and weeklies, and in this line of work has covered almost as wide a rango of subjects l .ils in her genera...

CRUMBS SWEPT UP. The salaries of State school teachoers for the present month. will-be. paid before the Christmas holidays. 2 The Maorifooll ill team pliayed the lianraushire countiry team on Satur day, end were defeated. A serious political crises has naisen in Spain, and the Ministry, of which M. Sagasta was. president, has re signed. Louisa Collins of the Botany poison ing cases lieas been sentenced to death. The jury in the Elmore. murder case have been unable to agree to a verdict. A shooking boating fatality occurred in HIobson's Bay Inst Sunday by which five persons wero drowned. Six hundred pounds have been gathered by the friends of the nlate JIon. A. T. Clark, with the object of endowing scholarship at the Mel bournec University, to be called the " Clark Scholarship." Several Socialist leaders have been arrested in Belgium. A minor named Jaemos Eccles was killed by the Adolaide express on Mon day evening. Henry Bishop for spilling nightsoil was on Monday fined £20, in defa...

THE , LEADER. JUsTICE TO ALL. SATURDAY, DECEM 11ER 15, 1888. SANITATION. IT is an indisputable fact that in many of the suburbs ofilelboirtnd, although iri contravention of the Local Govern mont Act, nightsoil. has. for many years past been buried by the occupants of houses in their own grounds, and the nightmen themselves have not scrupled to dispose of the contents of their carts in streets and vacant allot metts they have had occasion .to' pass through. Again it is rpaitent to all that the niggardly system adopted by land syndicates and others in cutting up land into eighteen feet allotments withlout the slightest provision for drainage, is one of the best fever breeding adjuncts that could possibly exist, in any cotiamunity. At the -larlinmeetieng ;f tit Ballarat:Mu1-` lcipal group several of the Melbourne suburban municipalities joined issue with them in tabling motions, which wore adopted, to the effect that *a clause be inserted in the new local Government Bill which wouild c...

LOCAL ITEMS. Triz anunal speech day of the Brighton state school will be hold in the Town Hall, Wilson-street, on Moonday evening next at half-past sooii' o'clock. i They scripture and ipecial prizes wvill be diitribited by' Mrs Bent, and Mr Burrows, the oluninapf "t :he Brighton Board of Advice, will preside, Wo believe that the prograbnme of the proceed ings is a very attractive one, and have no doubt that the attendance will be Very large. eor,o rJg SAnnoon entertained.-the entire staff oi the epployeos of the firm of Sargood, Butler and Nicol at " Rippon Loa," Blsternwiek, on FSatur day last, when a varied and intoroest ing programmeo was provilded for their amiusmindnt After the sports, which weroe hold in tlyp paddoklts, an elubor ate dinner was served in tlio ballroom, followed by dramatio, boxing, fencing and other performances, Reofreshlnonts of the choicesnt description were served throughout the day. TUE ;Central Board of Health .has drafted regulations having relation to...

CAULFIELD SHIRE COUNCIL. Thursday, December 6. Present":-OCrs Ballantyne (president), Cotton, Grimuwade, Langdon, Long, LePage, Looker and Selby. MINUTES. The minutes of last fortnightly meet ing were read and confirmed, and the secretary's outward correspondence read and approved of. CORRE5PONDENOE. From the Shire of Numurkah stat ing that at their recent meeting they had passed the following resolution, with a view to the eradication of the nuisance arising from the prevalence of hares in that district:-" That in view of the rapid - increase of hares in this district, and generally throuighout the colony, and the large amount of damage and loss occasionedcthereby, immediate action be taken to urge upon the Government, through our representative in Parliament, the pressing necessity for hlaving an Act passed for their distraction, similar to the Rabbit Suppression Act of 1880." They therefore asked that 'the- co operation and suppoat of the Caulfield council be given to the questio...